Oct. 16, 2024 – The 20th Annual Pro Bono Week is Oct. 21-25, 2024. Join us as we celebrate a Wisconsin lawyer whose pro bono efforts are lauded by the State Bar of Wisconsin: Philomena Kebec of Odanah.

Kebec is the recipient of the 2024 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award. The award, presented by the State Bar’s Legal Assistance Committee, recognizes dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to low-income individuals or those who develop innovative ways to deliver volunteer legal services.

Kebec is the economic development coordinator for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior-Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Odanah, serving her tribe and community in legal and nonlegal capacities.

Her pro bono efforts, Kebec says, are “on the side.”

She has worked with Judicare Legal Aid for more than seven years, taking pro bono cases on a wide range of family and housing issues. In 2023, she took the most pro bono cases of any Judicare attorney, including a challenging and urgent family case that spanned multiple states involving two children abducted from their home state outside Wisconsin.

Kebec has been involved in pro bono since before she became a lawyer. “As attorneys, we have a responsibility to give back to communities, especially to people in need,” she said.

“It was incredible to get named for this award,” Kebec said.

“Kebec is a shining example that Wisconsin attorneys can have more than one passion, use more than one skillset, and serve more than one commitment, including impactful pro bono work,” say her nominators.

Read more about Kebec in “Representing a Community of Caring: Philomena Kebec is Pro Bono Attorney of the Year,” InsideTrack, May 15, 2024.